Bodkin / Patterns

Clouser Bonefish

Baitfish · Bonefish · Redfish · Snook · Sea Trout · Jack · Permit · Intermediate · 2 versions

Classic Recipe

  • Hook saltwater standard (TMC 811S), 4-8
  • Thread tan 6/0

Materials

  • Eyes Small bead-chain or painted lead dumbbell (1 pair)
  • Belly wing Red fox tail with tan guard hairs (or tan bucktail) (1 sparse clump)
  • Flash Gold Krystal Flash and rust Flashabou (4-6 strands)
  • Top wing Red fox tail with black-tipped guard hairs (1 sparse clump)

How to tie it

  1. Tie bead-chain or small lead eyes on top of the shank about one-third back from the hook eye with tight figure-eights, on top so the fly rides hook-point-up over grass and coral; bead-chain lands softer for spooky flats fish.
  2. In front of the eyes tie in a sparse clump of tan fox tail (or bucktail) and bind it down behind the eyes along the shank.
  3. Flip the hook in the vise; tie in the flash strands, then the darker top wing of fox tail so it sandwiches the flash, extending about one shank length past the bend.
  4. Keep everything SPARSE. A bonefish Clouser should be translucent in the water.
  5. Build a neat tapered thread head, whip finish and coat the head and eye wraps with cement or thin resin.

Other versions

1 more in the app: Bonefish Clouser.

Tying videos

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